It is widely known that certain categories of drugs such as analgesics (e.g. opioids), sedatives (e.g. benzodiazepines) and stimulants (e.g. amphetamines) have potential to be misused or abused if they are not used as intended or as prescribed.
In the case of intentional misuse or abuse a person may attempt to extract the active ingredient from the commercial dosage form in order to concentrate it and take a larger amount than prescribed or to take the drug in a different manner to that prescribed, the object being to produce a euphoric “high” or some other pharmacological effect other than that produced when the product is used as intended.
One mode of abuse involves crushing a dosage form and inhaling or snorting the resultant powder. Another mode of abuse involves extracting the active ingredient with water, alcohol or some other solvent to produce a liquid form for injection.
As part of a wider effort to address the issue of deliberate misuse or abuse of prescription drugs the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a draft guidance for industry on abuse-deterrent opioids (see “Guidance for Industry, Abuse-Deterrent Opioids—Evaluation and Labeling, Draft Guidance” US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, January, 2013). The draft guidance provides some background to the problem of opioid abuse and discusses various formulation approaches that may be used in attempts to reduce or mitigate abuse potential. Furthermore, it details the studies, and other requirements, necessary to support labelling which contains abuse deterrent or reduction claims.
Various abuse deterrent or abuse reducing approaches are known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,920 (Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc) discloses an abuse deterrent dosage form wherein an active ingredient is combined with a polymer (gel forming agent) to form a matrix. Nasal irritants and/or emetics are also incorporated into the dosage form.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,776,314 (Grunenthal GmbH) discloses a solid administration form, protected from parenteral abuse and containing at least one viscosity-increasing agent in addition to one or more active substances that have parenteral abuse potential. According to claim 1, the viscosity-increasing agent is present in a quantity equal to or greater than 5 mg per dosage form and such that an aqueous extract obtained from the dosage form with 10 mL of water at 25° C., forms a gel which can still pass through a needle having a diameter of 0.9 mm and remains visually distinguishable when introduced by a needle into a further quantity of an aqueous liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,529,948 (Purdue Pharma LP) discloses a controlled release dosage form comprising a gelling agent in an effective amount to impart a viscosity unsuitable for parenteral or nasal administration to a solubilized mixture formed when the dosage form is crushed and mixed with from about 0.5 to about 10 mL of aqueous liquid. The dosage form may comprise a range of aversive agents (selected from a bittering agent, an irritant, a gelling agent or a combination thereof) to discourage an abuser from tampering with the dosage form.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,652,529 (Flamel Technologies) discloses solid microparticulate oral pharmaceutical forms having a coating layer which assures modified release of the active principle and simultaneously imparts crushing resistance to the coated particles so as to avoid misuse.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an oral pharmaceutical composition which is adapted to reduce or mitigate potential abuse by making it more difficult for the pharmaceutical active ingredient to be extracted and used or administered in a manner other than that originally intended.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition which is adapted to reduce or mitigate potential abuse whilst at the same time not compromising the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the composition.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an abuse resistant pharmaceutical composition which goes at least some way to addressing the drawbacks of the prior art.